This invention relates generally to mobile housing such as trailers and campers, and more particularly to a mobile housing having a retractible top portion movable between raised and lowered positions by means of a drive assembly.
Heretofore, campers, trailers and mobile housings of the type displaying retractible or collapsible tops have been generally known and include, for the most part, a plurality of elongated axially movable corner posts or supports mounted to a housing base and supporting the top for movement between a retracted or lowered position and an extended or raised position relative to the base. Typically, this type of vehicle housing relies on individual extractor elements or drive assemblies for axially moving each corner post to an extended position to thereby raise the top relative to the base. This method of utilizing separate actuating means for each corner post or support not only adds to the complexity of the entire vehicle but lends to further disadvantages. For example, it has been found that after continued use and wearing of the components, the actuating mechanisms tend to become unsynchronized with respect to each other, thereby causing the top to raise in a further uneven manner which, as is readily apparent, allows for the possibility of jamming or sticking, so that the top never reaches its maximum height. In addition, once the top is jammed in a raised position, it becomes quite difficult to move to its lowered position.
Improvements have been incorporated in such campers, trailers and other movable trailer vehicles to effect simultaneous movement of the adjustable corner posts during the raising and lowering operation. One such prior art structure has a single movable lug slidably secured to the support base of the trailer and to which are connected a plurality of incompressible, flexible connector elements which extend through guide tubes and then into the vertical corner posts. However, the length of the respective different ones of the flexible, incompressible connector elements varies from one to another and, therefore, may tend to cause inconsistencies in the rate at which one corner post is raised relative to the other corner post.
Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved drive assembly for raising the top of a mobile type housing such as a camper or trailer, which drive assembly includes means which enable the flexible, incompressible connector elements to be of substantially the same length and configuration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved drive assembly which raises the top of a retractible type camper or trailer more uniformly at the four corners thereof.
A feature of the present invention is the utilization of a pair of movable lugs slidable relative to one another along parallel paths and in opposite directions, these lugs being tied together to a single drive cable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved drive assembly which raises the top of a retractible type camper or trailer in a manner which more uniformly raises each corner of the type at substantially the same rate.
The aforementioned objects are achieved and the prior art deficiencies eliminated by the utilization of a novel drive assembly for raising the top of a mobile type housing such as a trailer or camper having a plurality of axially and telescopically movable elongated corner posts or support members mounted to the housing's base and supporting the housing's top for movement between a lowered or retracted position when the trailer is in transit and in an extended or raised position when the trailer is in use.
The drive assembly, in accordance with the present invention, includes a master tube in the form of an elongated housing having a partition extending therethrough to form two spaced apart channels. A lug element or movable member is slidably secured within each of the channels for movement therealong, the lugs being movable in opposite directions from a single drive cable. Two of the flexible, incompressible cables are secured to one lug and extend therefrom to two corner posts while another two flexible and incompressible cables are secured to the other lug and extend to the other two corner posts. The single drive cable is wrapped about a heavy duty pulley so that one portion of the cable being moved in one direction will cause another portion of the cable to move in the opposite direction. By so providing a guide tube having two channels and a pair of movable lugs the flexible elongated incompressible connectors are laterally made of the same length and configuration.
Each of the connector elements or push rods extending from the lugs is guided in its respective secondary guide member which restricts the push rod to axial movement as opposed to buckling or flexing type movement. In this manner, as the propulsion block or lugs are moved from their first positions to their second positions, for example with the use of a winch, the push rods or connector elements are axially moved toward their corner posts for telescopically raising the corner posts during raising of the top of the camper or trailer. Since the various push rods move equal distances, corresponding to the movement of the various lugs, and are of the same length and configuration, a more unison movement of the top is achieved. In addition, since all of the push rods and therefore corner posts are driven by a single cable, complicated gear arrangements are eliminated.
Many other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be more fully realized and understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like references throughout the various views of the drawings are intended to designated similar elements or components.